


Shield

by Donya



Series: CAW CAW Team Iron Man [11]
Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Captain America's Shield - Freeform, Gen, Humour, civil war angst, implied things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-27
Updated: 2016-06-27
Packaged: 2018-07-18 07:54:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7306270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Donya/pseuds/Donya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve has abandoned and forgotten not only his friends but also his shield. Tony tries to find a new purpose for it and get over Steve in the process.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shield

The Civil War took away Tony's friend and replaced him with the shield. Still marked by Black Panther's claws, the leather straps still retain the faint smell of Steve's skin. Now it was all that Tony had, a sad reminder of Howard's fascination and Steve's ultimate betrayal. Every so often Tony's heart clenched painfully when he remembered the dread and disbelief of staring at the shield lodged into his suit's chest. Denial and avoidance were nowhere near possible with the shield laying around. Clearly, Cap had other things on his judgemental and evil mind than retrieving his possession. Tony had to find a new use for it.

Unsurprisingly, first it was a tear bottle. Hours of howling and sobbing left Tony with half a teaspoon of tears at the bottom of the shield. Tony wondered if he should let the tears evaporate or maybe use them for some dark magic ritual. He wished he had the gift of magic to cause Steve to have nightmares every night. It was rather obvious that Steve didn't realise he was the bad guy in their story and felt no remorse for what he had done to Tony. That thought gave Tony an idea for the next step.

The shield wasn't deep but it could make a decent garbage can. Driven by still flaming anger, Tony would fill it with the most stinky garbage. Fruit peels and yoghurt cups, mouldy cheese and wrinkled vegetables. When it all rotted, just as Steve's friendship, and flies gathered for a meal, Tony's desire for a horrifying vengeance was partially satisfied. _There, Stevie, look what happened to your prized possession. You've ruined everything, laid waste to something good. Hope you can look at yourself in the mirror._

Growing fungi in the shield was amusing and Tony's real friends actually approved of that way of coping with the pain. All that negativity and drama that Steve caused could have pushed Tony over the edge and turn him into a raging alcoholic. Three months later, though, the constant decomposition and hordes of bugs began to annoy Tony, more than the fading hatred for Steve.

Next stage was to gather things that reminded him of Steve. Photos, Howard's notes, odd bits and pieces, those flammable ones, and tossed them into the  emptied trash-shield. A drop of a gasoline and a lit match, Tony watched the flames, thinking how stupid and melodramatic he was being, and how good it felt. Steve moved on, abandoned him and there was no reason to hold onto something that ceased to exist. The ash was scattered from the roof of the tower, the experience was just as liberating as Tony imagined. 

The new beginning was expressed by changing the shield into a flower pot. Tony grew his own herbs, basil, parsley and dill. All that hard work inspired him to eat more sensibly, he had to do something with all those herbs. Bruce openly admitted he was proud of Tony, the way Howard had never been. He said Tony could have used the Steve heartache as an excuse to drink himself to death and instead, he grew innocent and healthy herbs.

Watering the fragile plants became a nuisance. The shield was cleaned again and filled with fruits. The star-spangled fruit platter. Bananas and grapes and apples, better than dangerous amounts of candies and chocolate Tony used to consume right after Siberia. Steve surely expected Tony to eat away his sadness, get fat with it. What a disappointment, Tony was fit and full of energy.

Years later, the pain, once so intense, was only a distant memory. Tony had loyal friends and more. The shield became a toy basket for his firstborn son, Asbjørn. Steve would be furious to see his shield covered in baby's drool and snot. Good. When Asbjørn was old enough to say goodbye to diapers, he had the coolest potty, the only gift from his grandfather.

**Author's Note:**

> If you find any mistakes, do tell me.


End file.
